Breakthrough Game of the Series?

[Vincent, Thunder God]

This may have been done before... but do you think this game is the breakthrough game in the series? By this I mean the point at the series really starts to get good, the point at which Square have at least started to perfect thier formula?

Previously, FF1 was ok but lacked storyline, good music, and the gameplay tweaks that makes the series so good. FF2 was arguably worse gameplay than before (no leveling up), pretty crappy music, and a bit better in terms of storyline. I haven't played FF3, but from what I've heard it is still working on improving the system. With FF4 we see major improvements with music, sound, graphics, gameplay, storyline, and the start (in my opinion) of what would, in FF7, evolve into perfection. While it may not yet be perfect yet, to me this is the point at which the series really matures.

So, do you agree/disagree? Post what you think. I've also added a poll, but don't let that stop you from also posting your opinions.

[Crossblades]

Yes, because it's the first FF game that had a real dramatic storyline

[Tempest]

Yes, because it's the first FF game that had a real dramatic storyline

Agrees. That and it had good character devolpment.

[Rengori]

I'm not sure because I haven't played FFIII, but it certainly was far more dramatic than I or II and the fact that all your friends were 'dying' left and right made things interesting.

[Slam Dancin' Moogle]

Well, FFII kind of had a dark storyline, it was never supposed to be happy, even if it did have funny scenes. I didn't like FFIV too much, since it seemed short, and didn't appeal to me as much as it seemed way to easy.

[Acid Raine]

I'm not sure because I haven't played FFIII, but it certainly was far more dramatic than I or II and the fact that all your friends were 'dying' left and right made things interesting.

Although none of them did......Rosa survived the fever, Rydia came back, and Cid and Yang were alive, too. -.- WEAK!!

[xchaos knightX]

This would be the breakthrough game of the series. But ff3 had class selection which makes it way better than ff4.

[Kain424]

I liked that you were a bad guy. That was certainly different that really any of the other games. Cecil, aside from suffering from a sucky name, is horribly selfish and hurtful the entire game.

He joins in firebombing a town in the beginning, kills Rydia's mother, essentially kidnaps Rydia and convinces her he is right, takes Kain's girl without too much inner conflict about it, becomes a hero in everyone's eyes somehow, and leaves Kain in his own turmoil.

You know, now that i think about it, this game needs a sequel. One that follows what Kain does after this game. He's just sort of hanging out on the mountain at the end.

One thing that I liked about this game was when you are going to face that giant thing and suddenly an army comes to help. It showed that, unlike most games, you aren't the only people trying to stop the world from ending.

[Zeromus_X]

It had the first truly character driven storyline, although mechanically, it didn't bring out anything new. FFVI was really the first 'revolutionary' FF, and FFVII exposed the series to the rest of the world.

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

Are you kidding? FFIV introduced the ATB system, which remained the focus of the gameplay in the series all the way up until FFX. If that's not a mechanical innovation, I don't know what is.

[Zeromus_X]

I meant a customization system, when I said mechanically. (Meh, I used it wrong.) FFII had the weird 'real' level up system, FFIII had a reinvented job system, but FFIV had the traditional system, like characters in DQ games, where everyone is a certain class, and learns abilities at certain levels. Not that that's bad thing, it just didn't introduce anything new, that way.

ATB on the other hand...

[Dreddz]

Yes, because it's the first FF game that had a real dramatic storyline